good morning, america. i'm robin roberts. >> and i'm george stephanopoulos. it's thursday, september 9th. and this morning, the president takes on the pastor. in an exclusive interview, president obama sends an urgent message to the florida pastor threatening to burn the koran on 9/11. >> this is a recruitment bona a bonanza. >> and the president draws the line. >> if the election is a referendum are people sats fayed about the economy as it currently is, we're not going to do well. wild weather. tornadoes tear through the downtown dallas area, as flash floods wash out scars and strand people on their rooftops. and the judge versus the "jersey shore" star. he calls snooki a lindsay lohan wannabe.

good morning, everyone. and, george, you talked to the president yesterday. you know that he is joining the growing list of critics condemning that pastor's plan to burn copies of the koran on saturday. everyone from the pope to sarah palin has called on him to back down. but, george, the president seemed to go further with you when you interviewed him yesterday. saying americans are in danger from extremists. >> he called it a stunt that could endanger american troops. we saw the president say it was a recruitment bonanza for al qaeda. >> and the fbi is voicing concerns. >> i talked extensively with the president about the economy. he's making a big push right now, trying to push -- stop the extension of the bush tax cuts for the wealthy. but he stopped in my interview just shy of a veto threat. he was pretty frank, though, robin, about the frustrations he knows americans are feeling. it's hurt his political fortu

fortunes. and he said it could cost democrats this november. >> and you pushed him on whether he would issue that veto. also, the imam behind the planned islamic center near ground zero is breaking his silence. he as mitts, if he had to do it all over again, he might have chose a different location. but he said changing it now could lead to a violent backlash from husband limit extremists. >> and the fbi worried about that backlash if the koran warning goes forward. when i talked to the president, this has seized the highest levels of government. it's a deep concern to him as a president, as a christian, and as commander in chief. let me ask you about pastor terry jones. he gave a press conference today. said he's going to go through with burning the korans. is there anything you can say to him to convince him not to? >> if he's listening, i just

hope he understands that what he's proposing to do is completely contrary to our values as americans. that this country has been built on the notions of religious freedom and religious tolerance. and as a very practical matter, as commander in chief of the armed forces of the united states, i just want him to understand that this stunt that he is talking about pulling could greatly endanger our young men and women in uniform who are in iraq, who are in afghanistan. we're already seeing protests against americans, just by the mere threat that he's making. >> what are you worried about? >> well, look. this is a recruitment bonanza for al qaeda. you know? you could have serious violence in places like pakistan or

afghanistan. this could increase the recruitment of individuals who would be willing to blow themselves up in american cities or european cities. you know, and so, i just hope that he says he's someone who is motivated by his faith. >> he says he's praying on it. >> i hope he listens to those better angels. and understands that this is a destructive act that he's engaging in. >> i wonder what this must feel like from behind your desk. you're president of the united states. you have to deal with the fallout. and here's a pastor who has 30 followers in his church. does it make use feel helpless? angry? >> well, it is frustrating. now, on the other hand, we are a government of laws. and so, we have to abide by

those laws. and my understanding is that he can be cited for public burning. but that's the extent of the laws that we have available to us. part of this country's history is people doing destructive or offensive, harmful things. and yet, we still have to make sure that we're following the laws. and that's part of what i love about this country. >> you can see how sobering this is. >> sure. >> to the president. we've had general petraeus, hillary clinton, the president, all speaking out, trying to stop this. and you pointed out earlier, sarah palin, weighing in, as well. >> as often as has been said, just because you have the right to do something, doesn't mean you should do it. and the fbi is concerned about this.

let's bring in pierre thomas. he's been talking to the fbi overnight about this. >> reporter: you can add fbi officials to those who think the proposed burning of korans this weekend is provocative and potentially dangerous. and fbi bulletin is warning that islamic radicals might attack those participating in the koran burning. and that the event may have far-reaching national and international security implications, ranging from boycotts to terrorism. the bulletin is chilling. knowing the evoke of this event has brought an immediate response from a known terrorist website. i wish to detonate myself in this church now. i want to become a martyr and detonate myself in the filthiest filth. another warned, oh, you americans, i swear bial la, if you do this deed, that you have witnessed, i swear by allah. be sure the fbi is watching this event closely, robin. >> of course, they are, pierre. and beyond the website you

showed us, the fbi is concerned. it goes beyond what could take place on saturday, right? >> reporter: the fbi believes that the threat is long-term. the bulletin specifically points out that other perceived acts of desecration, the danish cartoons, led to protests around the world. and spawned assassination and terrorism plots that were months and sometimes years in the making. >> pierre thomas, thank you. >> that's why everyone is hoping the pastor will reconsider. we spoke to president obama about the economy. he's come out swinging the last few months before the midterm election. he's put a face on his opponent. house leader, john boehner. he was here yesterday. he mentioned boehner's name eight times in the speech in ohio. that's boehner's home turf. and i pointed out that he seems wanting to make boehner the most well-known republican in the country. >> congressman boehner is saying republicans have a good chance

of winning the house. >> i spoke to him. he seems confident. >> he may be speaker. and it's important that the americans understand what the republicans are offering, which is essentially more of the same. >> he said he was open to ideas on tax cuts you talked about today. he had two of his own. he said freeze spending at the 2008 levels. and extend all of the bush tax cuts, for two years. i know you're against any permanent extension. but what about two years? >> keep in mind, back in 2001, and back in 2003, these tax cuts for the rich would stop at 2010. that's why we're in the predicament we're in now. and when you ask them, why not just go ahead and gave 97% of americans a tax break, which is what we're prepared to do tomorrow, they say no. and the reason is, they're holding all of those middle-class folks who need tax relief hostage right now, in order to provide tax breaks for the top 2% wealthiest americans,

who don't need a tax break. aren't asking for a tax break. >> your own budget director, until a month ago, peter orszag, wrote in "the new york times" yesterday, that it was a good compromise. >> what peter orszag said, he would like to eliminate all of the tax cuts. but politically, the best you may be able to do is to get the republicans to agree to only extend them for two years. >> he said it was a good compromise. he said it made sense. >> but that's something we can't afford. we've got to make some decisions now that are going to have huge ramifications over the long-term. now, if mr. boehner and the republicans want to help small businesses right now, which is the rationale they provided for trying to extend tax cuts for the wealthiest americans. if they want to help them right now, we have a small jobs bill, bipartisan bill, written by democrats and republicans, that provides tax cuts to small businesses. eliminates capital gains for small businesses. provides loan assistance to small businesses.

and we could vote on that immediately. the reason it's been held up is because we haven't seen compromise from the other side. when you look at what the republicans are offering, it is exactly the same as what landed us in this mess in the first place. >> it's not just republicans. mark zandi, independent economist says, right now, the recovery's just too fragile to take any risk. don't have any tax increases at all. >> but what every economist i have talked to has said is, if you're going to spend, say $95 billion, even just for two years for these tax cuts, probably the least efficient way of actually giving the economy a boost is to provide that $95 billion to millionaires and billionaires. i mean, if warren buffett gets a tax break, that's not going to change his spending patterns. if those families that i were talking to out here in cleveland, or across the country, get a tax break, that

may mean a new computer for their kid. it may mean that they're able to make their mortgage payments. it may mean that they can buy a new coat for winter. and that's where our money should be going. >> how deep is your commitment to this fight? are you saying if congress passes a short-term extension of all of the tax cuts, you're going to veito it? >> you can't have republicans running on fiscal discipline, that we're going to reduce our deficit, that our debt's out of control, and then borrow tens, hundreds of billions of dollars to give tax cuts to people who don't need them. >> does that mean you will veto an extension of tax cuts for the wealthy? >> what i am saying is if we are going to add to our deficit, by $35 billion, $95 billion, $100 billion, $700 billion, if that's the republican agenda, then i've got a whole bunch of better ways for us to spend that money.

>> but you're not saying you're going to veto it. >> there's a whole bunch of better ways to spend the money. >> he did not want to answer that question. >> no, he didn't. >> we'll have more of the interview coming up. also, how he talks to sasha and malia about the political troubles. that's coming up. and you can get the full transcript on my bottom line blog an abcnews.com. we're going to go to the other controversy involving islam that has raged here for weeks. that plan, of course, to build a community center near ground zero. after weeks of silence, the imam at the center of that project, spoke last night on television. and dan harris joins us with much more on that. >> reporter: good morning to you. despite all of the protests. and despite a new poll this morning that shows two-thirds of americans oppose this muslim community center near ground zero, the imam at the center of the debate is unapologetic and

unrelenting. speaking on cnn overnight, enaam feisal abdul rauf, often called the spiritual leader of the proposed community center near ground zero, said he was shocked at the protest. >> if i knew it would cause this pain, i wouldn't have done it. >> reporter: he rejected halting or moving the project, arguing it would be dangerous for america. >> if we move from that location, the story will be that the radicals have taken over the discourse. the headlines in the muslim world will be, that islam is under attack. and unless some other radicals in america, can summon the radicals in the muslim world. if we do move, it will strengthen the argument for radicals to recruit. and their increasing aggression, violence against our country. our national security now hinges on how we negotiate this. how we speak about it. and what we do.

>> reporter: the imam tried to extend an olive branch to the 9/11 families, saying he wants to include a memorial as part of the center. >> i'm very sensitive to those feelings. as an imam, as any religious person does, we have to minister to the pain and hurt of our congregations and our ministry and our communities. this is why we're reaching out more to 9/11 families. you cannot heal a trauma by walking away from it. >> reporter: however, he did take a direct shot at those who say the area around ground zero is hallowed. >> let's be clear, calling this area sacred ground and what exists there, you can't call a place with strip joints is sacred ground. we have to be just. we have to speak the truth. we have to have justice for everybody. we're a country of justice for all. not just for non-muslims only. or for some groups and not for

others. this is what america's all about. >> reporter: again, the imam saying you can't say a neighborhood that has strip joints is hallowed ground. also in that interview, the imam facing questions about his past refusal to call hamas a terror group. he said that anybody who commits terrorism. and hamas has committed terrorism. he lists all the donors for what is a $10 million project. and he will not take any money from any group that is a danger. >> they don't have the money yet. >> reporter: no. >> to build this. >> this is a ways off. >> it's a ways off before the debate ends too. >> absolutely. the remnants of hurricane hermine left its mark on texas. as the storm pulled away, it spawned a tornado and massive flooding. carrying away cars and stranding dozens of people. ryan owens is on the ground with the latest. ryan? >> reporter: good morning, george. we'll start with the tornado. it touched off awfully close to downtown dallas. behind me, you see the damage.

the only injury, the driver who was inside that truck. it's not every day viewers in a major city can watch live as tornadoes swirl near downtown. >> there's the tornado on the ground. >> transformer fire right there. >> reporter: during the evening news in dallas on wednesday, those weather warnings that so often flash on the screen came to life. >> you need to seek shelter immediately. >> reporter: one of the twisters touched down in an industrial area not far from lovefield airport. collapsing buildings and tossing trucks around. the tornado blew through here after 6:00. minutes of hundreds of workers left the warehouses and office buildings for the day. at least three other tornadoes hit neighborhoods and rural areas across north texas. >> get me down. >> reporter: the evening

twisters capped off a day of record flooding here. firefighters turned their ladders into bridges to rescue dozens of people, and a few family pets, stranded at this apartment complex. >> it was good. i was just very thankful that they're here to save us. >> it came up so fast. everybody is asking me, why didn't you leave? it was in the blink of an eye. that's how quick it went up. >> reporter: the rush of water was enough to carry away cars. all of this mess was caused by what remains of tropical storm hermine. if you think about it, that's pretty remarkable. this storm was not strong enough to even be a hurricane. it made landfall three days ago. more than 500 miles to the south of here. george? >> yet, causing all of that damage. thanks, ryan. let's get more on this with sam. >> as is often the case, when they make landfall, they are more problems than along the

coastline. yesterday, we told you, we were very concerned about the central texas rainfall and flooding. today, it will move a little bit north. let's show you pictures of oklahoma. texas wasn't the only place. you may see this like steven colbert and his last night. but we say colbert. that's where the tornado touched down. and today, we'll find the heavier rain moving up into probably the st. louis area, springfield, wichita, as well. this could be easily a good hit of more than two inches of rain. some places around wichita and springfield, it could be five inches of rain. just in that bull's eye, we're looking at two inches of rain. that heavy rain continuing to move in the central of the country. we have cooler air in the northeast to talk about.

talk about big weather changes in the next half hour. robin, george, including a frost advisory in arrowhead, minnesota. get ready.

>> we're already talking about that, sam. thank you. let's go to juju chang with other headlines for us. good morning, juju. >> good morning, robin, george, sam, everyone. the wildfires burning near boulder, colorado, is the worst in state history. 135 homes have been destroyed. four people are unaccounted for. some evacuation orders may be lifted today. but only 10% of that fire is contained. a sharply-divided federal appeals court has ruled terrorism suspects cannot sue over claims they were tortured during secret interrogations in overseas prisons. the court says such lawsuits could expose sensitive cia secrets. the ruling is seen as a victory for the obama administration's efforts to strengthen counterterrorism policies. american highways are safer than they've been in decades. new american government figures show traffic deaths have dropped to a 60-year low, thanks to seat belt use and tougher drunk driving laws. and now, one of the most famous people in the world, taking public transportation?

try and recognize her. that's madonna, riding the new york subway systems on wednesday. she went virtually unnoticed, even though she was bundled up in 90-degree weather. and the reason for her underground adventure, remains a mystery. that's the news. and she gave permission for the photographer to take her picture. >> because she's one of us. >> there you go for discreet. national news. >> thanks, juju. appreciate that. coming up, more on my interview with president obama. talking about his political troubles ahead in the midterm elections. what does he say to his daughters about those troubles? and how is he going to use michelle on the campaign trail? an unbelievable story about a hospital employee accused of submitting false mammogram results. telling people their abnormal scans were normal. why did she do it?

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now the forecast certified most accurate by weather rate and maryland's most powerful doppler radar. >> good morning, everyone. it is thursday and we are dealing with some lower dew points today. which is good news. but we do have some enhanced fire risk out there. this 48 that you are looking at, that's dry air. to the south, we are dealing with oppressive, humid air, and we are also dealing with the winds. you are putting those together and we see fires like we did yesterday. sustained into baltimore, but

picking up as we go throughout the day. let's send this over to kim brown. she has your traffic. >> thanks. good morning. traffic is surprisingly good at this time. just going to find minor delays. as we look here at liberty road, traffic moving at a nice pace. normally we don't see it looking this good. as we look quickly at our maps, debris on the outer loop, also the traffic lights in baltimore city, northern parkway are dark, so treat it as a four-way stop. here's megan. >> good morning, 7:27. no word on what caused this apartment fire at the corner of charles and madison. this video sent to us by one of our viewers. it was fueled by high winds. a lot of fires going on. well top star, usher, announced his fall omg tour and he's going to be making a stop in baltimore. on december 8, tickets go on sale by next friday. >> contest is over.

today the national aquarium will announce what the new puffin is going to be named. you see the chick right there and we will find out what his name is going to be. we're out of time. we are going to send you back to new york for good morning america. we'll send you back to new york for another news update. my commute home to the eastern shore every night only takes an hour but that's more time than congress spends reading massive spending bills, it's crazy. that's why i wrote a law that requires 72 hours to read every bill. i read the big bills and i said no. no to the $3 trillion budget, no to the bank bailout, and no to the health care bill. at home you would never pay a bill without reading it

neither should congress. i'm frank kratovil and i approve this message because i'm proud to be ranked one of the most independent members of congress.

now, you're going to have the first lady's help on the campaign trail. >> she is far more popular than me. and rightly so. she spent most of this week making sure that the girls start off well in school. they had their first day of school on tuesday. and i guarantee you, we get more requests for her than just about anybody else. >> can the first lady save some seats for house democrats? that was one of the questions i asked president obama yesterday. also talked to him about his girls, sasha and malia, are handling all of the political fallout. they've seen the highs of the election. now, the president facing tough times. what they talk about at the dinner table. >> wide-ranging interview you had with him yesterday. how did he seem? >> pretty rested. i think that vacation did him well. this summer, fiery. he was looking forward to

getting out on the campaign trail. one thing he told me offcamera, he was going to be out a lot more. good morning, on this thursday morning. and also this morning, something we were talking about in the commercial break. oh. a case of medical misconduct affecting hundreds of women. can you get this? a hospital employee is accused of submitting false mammogram results. women were told their tests were normal, even though a doctor had never read their scans. and it turns out some of the women actually did have cancer. >> this is just shocking. >> we're going to hear from one of them this morning. it makes you appreciate the good technicians. i know firsthand, how good they can be. and thankful. but this is not that case. and we have beautiful birds. they're causing outrage in one. this is a california community. a little suburb. and they are on a mission to get rid of all these gorgeous peacocks. >> that voice. first, more of my exclusive interview with president obama and whether or not he can save

the house for democrats. we talked about why so many more americans are losing confidence in him now. and fewer and fewer think he's looking out for them. let's take a broader look, heading into the midterms. you might have seen it. the latest abc news poll showing republicans have a big advantage going into the election. and i'm just wondering, when you look at what it says about your personal attributes, as well, more americans seeing you as liberal. and when you ask questions like, does he share my values, it's going like this, since you became president. >> my analysis is that we came in with great excitement and people hoping that we could turn the corner really quickly. and we couldn't. so, folks have now seen a year and a half after unemployment above 9%. and long-term unemployment at record levels. so, people are hurting out there. and they're anxious. and they're fearful. >> they don't think you get it.

>> well, i think that what people feel is, gosh, we should be able to do something faster to solve these problems. and i desperately wish that we could. i mean, these are the folks that i ran for office for. these are the folks in my family and michelle's family. and this is the middle-class folks who are out there are the very reason i got into politics. >> just take do you think that there's anything you did to cause this? >> in the last 19 months, i make mistakes every day. if you're asking, have we made the decisions that are the right decisions to move this country forward after a very devastating recession? then the answer is, absolutely. >> what do you say to even your allies or former allies, who believe there's a deeper problem

there? ken duberstein, ronald reagan's chief of staff. supported you in the last campaign. this is what he told "the financial times" this week. i have to say, i'm disappointed in president obama. more government appears to be his solution to almost every problem. that is out there, that feeling. >> i think that some of this was circumstance. when we came in, we had to take a series of emergency measures that were not popular. we had to manage making sure that the banks didn't collapse. that was wildly unpopular. we had to make sure that the auto industry didn't go down. look, i knew at the time that that was going to carry a political cost because what it did was reinforced the assumption people have that democrats are more likely to spend or they're more likely to try to meddle in the private sector.

and i understood that. >> can you save the house in the next eight weeks? >> if people look at what democrats stand for and what republicans stand for, who we're fighting for and who they're fighting for, we will win. if the election is a referendum on are people satisfied on the economy as it currently is, we're not going to do well. i think everybody feels like this economy needs to do better than it's been doing. >> i have to ask you about your chief of staff. with mayor daley saying he's not going to run again. rahm emanuel says he's interested in running. you're still a voter in chicago. if he wants to run for mayor, does he do it with your blessing and your vote? >> i think he would be an excellent mayor. he is an excellent chief of staff. i think right now, as long as he is in the white house, he is critically focused on making sure we're creating jobs for families around the economy and rebuilding our economy. and one thing i've always been impressed with about rahm is

when he has a problem to do, he focuses on the job in front of him. my speculation is he would make the decision after the midterm elections. he knows we have a lot of work to do. i think he would be a terrific man. >> that seems like an endorsement. tough decision for rahm emanuel coming up. we have more of my interview with the president coming up, including how he is talking with his daughters about coping. >> and people that come up, what do they say to his daughters? he's sensitive about that. that's ahead. let's go to sam champion with the weather. >> good morning, robin roberts. george, good morning. we're going to start with what's going on in western areas that are leading the fire conditions that are so tough in those areas. we have a cold front moving in. here's the red flag warnings just west of boulder around the casper, area. there's a cold front today that drops in. you see the difference at salt lake 72. casper, 81 degrees.

there's no moisture with that cold front. and there's wind ahead of it. we're getting a pretty strong push of wind up to 60 miles per hour in the canyons. and drier air, as well. we told you about the frost conditions that are in parts of minnesota. look at chicagoland coming in. 67 degrees. well below normal. this is beautiful. there will be few complaints about this. cool, dry, gorgeous ai all that weather was brought to you by macy's. robin? >> all right, sam. we have an outrageous story now out of georgia. a hospital worker is accused of submitting false mammogram results for hundreds of women.

she allegedly told them their results were normal, even though a doctor had never read the scans. and some of the women are just finding out they actually do have cancer. yunji de nies talked to one of those women. >> reporter: relaxing along this quiet lake is how the mizels planned to spend their golden years. >> it's nice to be here when it's quiet. >> reporter: but retirement has brought them little peace. three years ago, miriam was diagnosed with colorectal cancer. it spread to her liver and lungs. >> with the met static colorectal cancer, the prognosis is three to five years. i've been here 3 1/2. >> reporter: then, doctors discovered breast cancer. >> it was like, i've been through so much already. now, it's like i got my teeth kicked in. >> reporter: even worse, miriam had had a mammogram at perry hospital nearly two years ago.

but investigators say rachael rapraeger had submitted her tests and thousands of others with false results. her job here was to process mammograms, delivering them to radiologists for review. but the radiologists never got those tests. >> for reasons unknown, she was taking the mammograms and just entering the results herself. >> reporter: and she always entered negative? >> that's correct. >> reporter: perry hospital called the actions inexplicable. and said their only internal review concluded miss rapraeger acted alone. in total, the process had over 1,300 mammograms. 10% of the women have been told they have breast cancer. >> when you're dealing with cancer and they could have been treated sooner, had the results been read properly at the time they were reformed. >> reporter: a grand jury indicted rapraeger for reckless

conduct and computer fraud. she faces up to 160 years in prison. but that is little comfort for miriam mizel. >> these are a large part of the reason i'm not ready to leave. >> reporter: if you could talk to her, what would you say to her? >> because i am a christian, i forgive her. i do. i forgive her because not doing that hurts me. come on, sweetie. >> reporter: for "good morning america," yunji de nies, abc news, perry, georgia. >> so remarkable she's able to forgive like that. you want to ask why. and said, when dealing with cancer, time is of the essence. coming up next, why these birds have a community flapping mad.

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for music, i didn't know that was the music. imagine a world where you never have to set an alarm clock. if it sounds too good to be true, you're correct. people in one california neighborhood, don't have to set their alarms because mother nature does it for them. and their none too happy about it. mike von fremd has their story. >> reporter: in southern california, people get used to neighbors strutting their stuff. >> their egos are huge. >> reporter: but they may never get used to the sound of this. that wicked wail comes from a beautiful bird. and with more than 1,000 peacocks flocking to exclusive rancho palace verdes, residents are on-edge. they start about 4:00, 5:00 in the morning. that's the noise. >> they pretty much go from the trees to your roof. and they're landing. and they boom down on the roof. >> reporter: when fully grown, peacocks way about 15 pounds. about the same as this bowling

ball. the birds do not land gracefully. >> when i first moved here, i thought i would be attacked. >> reporter: the exotic birds were imported to california from india, in the late 1800s. >> they've been here forever. i don't know how someone can come to an area that has had peacocks and is known for peacocks, longer than humans, and be upset with them. >> reporter: right now, the birds are protected. it's a felony to harm one. but 35 homeowners have voted to secede from this peacock protection zone. we have people, peacocks and problems. seems like bird of the same feather don't want to flock together. for "good morning america," mike von fremd, abc news, rancho palace verdes, california. >> they're beautiful. you don't want to know what sam said he would do. maybe he will tweet about it. next, snooki's day in court. why the judge called her a

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only with your giant card. ♪ get crazy get wild ♪ ♪ let's party "around the watercooler" this morning, nicole polizzi in court. she's the "jersey shore" phenom, phone by the nickname, snooki. that's ore legal name. she was standing up in court

talking to a judge. talking about charges of annoying other beachgoers on, of course, the jersey shore. >> just by being snooki? >> there was a little -- >> just a lit. andrea canning will fill us in with more. >> i have concerned how much of this episode was scripted by your show. >> reporter: tmz was there, when a jersey judge refused to be snookered by snooki. nicole polizzi's july 30th arrest was an act. >> if this was scripted, only you can determine if trading your dignity for a paycheck. >> it was not scripted. >> reporter: the "jersey shore" star is seen in handcuffs after an arrest of disorderly conduct. snooki's hard partying has landed her millions of fans. but the judge is clearly not one of them, lashing out at her way of life. >> you seem to be acting like a

lindsay lohan wannabe in this matter. going through life rude, profane, obnoxious and self-indulgent is not the way you want to live your life. >> reporter: snooki's actions cost her $533, two days of community service, and possibly some of her dignity. >> very embarrassed. this is not like me. i've never been in this situation before. so, i definitely would like to apologize to anybody that i hurt. >> hopefully this incident will impress upon you that there are consequences to your actions. >> reporter: consequences that took her from the shore to this shelter, where her punishment included shoveling animal man e manure. for "good morning america," andrea canning, abc news, new york. >> really had to get that part of it. >> you can't do better than that punishment. come on. >> please. >> i like that she stood there and said i'm really sorry. it's not like me. and i think that's a nice thing

to hear, rather than blaming it on something else. >> and half an hour afterwards, she tweeted, saying she thanked the judge. and that it would never happen again. >> unless they write it into the next season. >> in which case, it's not scripted, george. ng cream helps restore collagen depleted skin. neutrogena clinical skincare is clinically tested to undo the look of a year's worth of skin aging in just 4 weeks. do-overs do exist. [ female announcer ] clinical skincare. neutrogena. #1 dermatologist recommended brand. nothing beats prevacid®24hr. just one pill helps keep you heartburn free for a full 24 hours. prevent the acid that causes frequent heartburn with prevacid®24hr, all day, all night. nothing works better.

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now the forecast certified most accurate by weather rate and maryland's most powerful doppler radar. good morning, everyone. we are looking at some very low humidity today and with that, we could see the enhanced risk for fires as well as the winds kicking up. let's talk about the moisture right now and we can see not a will the of it. the dew points in the 40s. if you want the moist air, you'll have to head to the south. charleston at 64. they are dealing with o prezzive air. the winds are sustained at 9 into baltimore. as we go throughout the day, the sustained winds will pick up 10 to 15 miles per hour with gusts up to 20 to 25 miles an hour, maybe 30. we have 6 in frederick right now. hagerstown coming in at 8. as we check out the satellite and radar, we have that cool, dry air. all right, let's talk about what's going on right now with

traffic with kim brown. good morning, kim. >> thanks, linette. traffic is going to be heavy, especially on the 95 corridor between white marsh boulevard headed down towards 695 and 895 split. as you look here at the west side of the beltway at liberty road, the inner loop is pretty much going to be slow going all the way from stevenson as you head towards the topside of the beltway. give yourself a few extra minutes there. we around anne arundel county. that's going to be route 450. another crash reported, 97 southbound as you approach the beltway. that was reported to be in the median and in baltimore city, we are working an accident at northern parkway. a crash involving a pedestrian reported at conway and sharp street and in rosedale, an accident reported at 66th street. stay with us, because we are sending you back to new york for more good morning america.

♪ here's the story of a lovely lady ♪ look down. ♪ who was bringing up three very lovely girls ♪ >> who doesn't know the theme to that popular sitcom, "the brady bunch." this is a blended family for you. what is the real cast of the "the brady bunch" doing now? >> she wants to be in the sequel. >> doesn't she? those are the real stars right from. members of the "the brady bunch." they're going to take us behind the scenes of the very brady days. on the banister. >> it's a big favorite in our family. we were hunkered down for hurricane earl on friday. watching "the brady bunch" reruns. that makes me have a personal shoutout. elliott, happy birthday. 8 today. >> you get it at age 8. >> she's been in it for the last

eight months. now, "the morning mix." we're off you now. ariana huffington is here. tucker carlson is here. they're going to talk about the burning in florida. the rest of the week's issues. first, my interview with president obama. 60 days to the election right now. less than 60 days. democrats are pulling out all of the stops. for president obama, that means to pull out a little campaign trail deja vu and calling on his secret weapon. you're going to have the first lady starting on the campaign trail. >> she is far more popular than me. and rightly so. she spent most of this week making sure that the girls start off well in school. they had their first day of school on tuesday. and i guarantee you, we get more requests for her than just about anybody else. >> you bring up the girls. you have had the chance to have dinner at home a lot.

when you're going through these hard times, how much of it bleeds through to them? and how do you protect them from it? >> you know, i think they are still young enough where they don't watch the nightly news. i apologize for that, george. >> might get some on the internet, right? >> but you know, when we're sitting around the dinner table, we're talk about them and their lives. i do think -- >> they're not worried? they don't hear things? >> well, first of all, people are very gracious to them. it's not like somebody's going up and saying, i think your dad is a bum. that has not yet happened to them. i think people understand that kids are off-limits on these issues. i do think that they know we're going through a tough time. they know that we're involved in two wars. you know, they know that we had a big oil spill in the gulf. and so, we talk about those

issues. and what i try to explain to them is, daddy's making the best decisions that he can to help the most people in this country. some of them are going to work. some of them aren't going to work exactly the way we want. but what i try to describe to them, and instill in them, are the same values that i inherited from my mom and from my grandparents. and that michelle inherited from hers. and that is what i talked about today. hard work, responsibility, looking out for other people. >> and at that last press conference, the president said malia came up to him and said, when are you going to plug the hole, daddy? >> i heard that. it's nice people are being gracious to the kids. as you would imagine. juju's here with the rest of the morning headlines. >> good morning, everyone. the state department is ordering u.s. embassies to brace for anti-american violence ahead of this weekend's planned burning

of the koran by a florida preacher. pastor terry jones, who says he's received more than 100 death threats, says burning the koran on september 11th will send a strong message to extremists. president obama told george that burning the koran will boost recruitment. the imam behind the planned mosque at ground zero says moving the facility to a different location would inflame islamist extremists and endanger americans. in an interview with cnn, the imam said if he had known his plan would spark so much controversy, he would have chosen a different location. an embarrassment for troops in iraq. four prisoners have escaped from a baghdad prison. it's unclear how they made their getaway. in texas, two people have died in flash flooding. the remnants of tropical storm hermine forced more than 100 high-water rescues wednesday and spawned several tornadoes. sam will have more weather news in a minute. the wildfires burning near

boulder, colorado, has destroyed at least 135 home. it's the most destructive fire in state history. and it's only about 10% contained. now, diane sawyer, with a preview of tonight's "world news." diane? >> hello. it's thursday. great to talk to you, juju. and tonight, on "world news," what if a brilliant man, whose office is in a closet, could make your child smarter for life with what he does? bill gates thinks so. a lot of people do. and it's all free. see who he does tonight on "world news." >> i'll check that out. and finally, who makes the best fast-foodburg center well, a "consumer reports" online survey has growned in-n-out burger and five guys has the best in the nation. followed by fudruckers. and mcdonald's finished last. i know. controversial, right, sam? mcdonald's. they say they sell more of their burgers, even if they're ranked fifth. juju, take a look in the monitor.

>> oh, my gosh. >> i know you didn't see it. something happened to me when i saw you last and until now. this is what happened to me. who are you guys? >> we're the new york city hog chapter, harley owners group. >> you have a september 11th ride. >> yes. this will be our eighth anniversary on midnight friday night. we'll be riding to ground zero from harley davidson, long island city. we'll probably have about 1,800 to 2,000 bikes. a quiet memorial. hang a wreath and go down there. >> juju, that's my explanation for all of this. yeah. i guess. let's get to the board. we have one or two things going on this morning we have to talk about. in atlanta, we're showing you the hot pictures because a good part of the country has been warmer than normal. this has gone on record as the fourth-warmest summer since we've been keeping records in the u.s. it is the warmest summer in new york.

the most 1 more weather with all my friends in times square. robin? >> you took off the skull cap. you were looking good, sam. it's touching what that group is going to do this weekend down at ground zero. now, on our series "vanished," we revisit the case of asha degree. she went to bed one night and was gone in the morning. simply disappeared.

ashleigh banfield went back to the scene of the crime where the 9-year-old was seen for the last time. >> reporter: hey, guys. i'm on highway 18, just on the outskirts of shelby, alabama. a passer-by sees a little girl walking down the road. it's 4:00 in the morning. and there's a raging storm. he circled three times. only to watch, she ran into the trees and disappeared. all anybody knows for sure is this is the spot where little asha degree, and almost all of an entire community's innocence, seemingly just vanished. >> she was quiet, like her dad. >> when she was upset about something, i could get a smile. >> she would do something you like. >> daddy's little girl. she would sit up with her head in my lap. >> this is a 9-year-old child that just disappeared. >> there's no clues.

there's nothing. >> reporter: when iquilla and harold degree last saw their daughter, she looked like this, a shy fourth grader. today, investigators believe she might look like this. an age-progressed photo of a 20-year-old woman. what they don't know is where she is. or if she's even alive. >> it's a small community. cleveland county. and families are close-knit. people kind of look out for each other and their children. and everybody just asked, you know, what happened? >> reporter: it was february 13th, the year 2000. a stormy, sunday night. asha and her 10-year-old brother, go to bed in a small room they share. about 11:30, asha's father, harold, says he goes out to buy valentine's day candy. when he comes home, he watches tv, checks in on the children, and goes to bed around 2:30. >> he thought everything was

fine. she was around. laughing and talking. >> reporter: friends say asha was upset about losing a basketball game on saturday. >> theory is, some time during the night, she gets up. >> and packed her regular school bag. put clothes in it. >> she walks out of the house. and heads down 18 south. several people say that they see her. but no one stops to make sure she's okay. she runs off into the woods. and no one has seen her since. >> reporter: at 6:30 a.m. on valentine's day, the degrees awaken to find asha missing. >> looking for a missing person. her name's asha degree. >> reporter: volunteers begin canvassing the neighborhood. almost immediately, investigators suspect foul play. >> i would never think she would go out of the house at dark. >> it's hard to believe a child would leave her home. >> reporter: within days, the search for asha focuses on this shed near the side of the road.

neighbors find candy wrappers and a hair bow, which the family says belongs to asha. for a week after asha disappeared, volunteers combed this area. walking up and down looking for any sign of what could have happened. didn't find anything. no blood. no sign of a struggle. then, 18 months later, he book bag showed up, wrapped in trash bags. only, it didn't show up here. it showed up 26 miles that way. >> i flipped out because, to me, it was that the next thing they was going to tell me was that they had found her body. >> reporter: police search. but find no body. and no other clues. the trail just goes cold. it has now been ten years. >> investigations, hamrick. >> reporter: police have not given up. >> some of the files right here -- >> reporter: almost daily, they receive new leads. >> someone out there knows

something. we just need that one piece that's going to make the puzzle come together. >> reporter: for the degrees, those ten years seem like yesterday. they're still living in the same house asha left that night. still hoping one day, she will return. >> my heart won't let me move. i just keep the hope that she's going to walk through that door one day. all we got is hope. and i just refuse to let anybody take that away from me. >> reporter: for "good morning america," ashleigh banfield, abc news, shelby, north carolina. >> we certainly hope the same for that family. coming up next, george is going to mix it up with ariana huffington and tucker carlson. they're going to join us for "the morning mix" next. [ women ] ♪ pop-tarts happy sunshine time! ♪ [ man ] ♪ grab a pop-tart and you might just start ♪ ♪ to sing songs like a meadow lark ♪ ♪ stretch and yawn ♪ blow a kiss to mom ♪ cause pop-tarts mornings are the bomb ♪

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tucker. this had to be a tough call in the white house. you have this florida pastor. 30 followers. yet, clearly from the beginning, the week until the president's interview with me yesterday, they said, we have got to take this on. >> i don't think he needs to take it on. i think it was foolish to respond to your question. a good question was, he should have waved his hand dismissively. he represents no one. he's a lone wacko. i think the president believes the center of the country is just like this, that are intolerant and hateful. >> setting aside what happens here in the united states, which is a hard thing to set aside, i think the danger is, if he's a wacko around the world, he's seen as representing america. >> they're going to hate us more now? >> it's hard for him not to respond, when general petraeus says, this is going to be putting our troops at risk. i think one thing to make is connect it with the application

to the mosque. >> that would be doubling down. >> you can't really completely separate these things. >> no. you're right. >> and that's really a teachable moment. people are saying, we should not build a mosque there. are basically denying the fundamental principles that the president was talking about in the interview, which is freedom, toleranalolerance of religion oe ground. that's an essential part of what america was based on. it was not an afterthought that the founders had. >> arianna, please. you think it's provocative and an insult to 9/11, to build a mosque on the site, that's the same as burning a koran? they're not even close. >> i was saying, continuity. >> oh, that is -- >> anything beyond that is okay and nothing beyond that is not. >> it's not a mosque. it's an islamic center with a mosque and interfaith center inside.

why isn't honoring the memories of the victims of 9/11, to put that center there and prove we're not going to sacrifice our freedoms? >> one, there is no mosque or interfaith center. there's nothing. it's an idea. and it's nowhere close to coming to fruition. the point of this is to provoke. the point of this is to put a stick in the eye of people who are offended by this, which is 70% of americans. if you truly want to honor the memory of those killed on 9/11, ask the relatives of those who were killed on 9/11. shouldn't they have a say on this? >> i mean, you can't basically stand up for the fundamental principles of the country. one of them is freedom to worship, wherever you are, on private ground in the religion you believe in. that's a fundamental freedom. that was part of the founding of this country. it wasn't an an ciliary thought.

>> is it a good idea? or a desecration? you can say it's a desecration and it's wrong. but you can't prevent it legally. there is an argument to be made. people who think it's wrong to build a mosque at ground zero, people that want to burn a koran. >> let's move on to politics more generally. you saw the president yesterday, back in campaign mode. pretty clearly calling out house republican leader john boehner eight times in his speech. but he also, arianna, seemed to be -- there was some new language in the speech. he talked about the middle-class. he seemed to be cribbing parts of your book in his speech yesterday. >> he did say he ran for the middle class. that that was really, as i say in the book, the campaign theme was their north star. in fact, what happened, in a way he kind of acknowledged it. is that they haven't had the

results that they were hoping they were going to have. and i argue in the book that they really did not bring a sense of urgency. that they brought to saving wall street, to saving -- >> the president does not concede that. one of the most striking things, tucker, was, when you press him on what went wrong? where did you go wrong? it's almost always about communications failures. no fundamental strategic failure. >> that's right. going after boehner, people were watching this, saying what's a boehner? the idea you're going to blame the last two years onsome who has no real power right now -- >> and not much name recognition. >> he runs the economy and is going to rise and fall. i thought his answer was interesting. he didn't own up to, he promised far more than he could deliver. he went along with the messiah thing. he was very energetic in his two years. he's done a lot. it's on those things he will be judged.

health care is at the center for the reason why his party's about to get slammed. >> i don't think so. i think, as he said, if the people go to the polls and vote the economy, they're effectively in trouble because however we got there -- >> he said he would lose. >> he considered that. and that's a major concession. the truth is, they underestimated the economic crisis. again and again. we heard them say that unemployment is a lagging indicator. it's going to basically -- they expected it to be about 8%. it's not coming back. >> we're just about out of time. i want you to weigh in one other subject that came up over this week. we now know who the next larry king is going to be. piers morgan. any chance this guy succeeds? >> absolutely. there's a kind of tendency in america where we invent the popular culture. and we bring in immigrants. more to explain it. >> you started off --

>> with the accent. >> he's attacking other people. bad plan. >> attacking other people? >> he attacked other people in his time slot. you should never start a show by that. >> he's doing his first interview with larry king. >> that's gracious. arianna, tucker, thank you very much. time for you to weigh in. do it on our shoutout board, at abcnews.com/gma. and coming up, a very brady morning. "the brady bunch" cast members will join us live. we chose symbicort to help control my asthma symptoms. [ man ] symbicort improves my lung function... starting within 15 minutes. [ woman ] symbicort will not replace a rescue inhaler for sudden symptoms. it is a combination of two medicines and should not be taken more often than prescribed. [ man ] symbicort contains formoterol. medicines like formoterol increase the risk of death from asthma problems, and children and adolescents may have an increased risk of being hospitalized for asthma problems. [ woman ] swhose asthma is well controlled with a long-term asthma control medicine like inhaled corticosteroids.

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now the forecast most accurate by weather rate and maryland's most powerful doppler radar. >> good morning, we are looking at the moisture content for today. we have dew points and the dew points are low and with that, we are going to couple it with the wind. we have a dew point in baltimore coming in at 48. all the moisture is down to the south. you can see that into charleston right now at 74 and we are looking at winds right now. they picked up into baltimore. 12-mile an hour sustained winds. we'll have gusts up to 25, 30 miles an hour. let's send this over to kim brown. >> good morning, it's not looking very good on 95 southbound, especially as you approach the tunnel. we have a crash blocking the right two in the right tube. significant backup there. way past the toll plaza. allow yourself plenty of extra time. we were working an injury crash up in carny and another

accident reported at notingham road. >> here are your headlines, charges in a deadly fire that we told you about yesterday in columbia. police say 34-year-old damon white stabbed his ex-wife and started the apartment on fire. white is at shock trauma right now. when he is released, he will be taken into police custody. ocean city authorities found the body of 22-year-old melka. he disappeared late last month. his body was found 16 miles off the shore. marylanders are taking advantage of early voting, but today is your last day to do it. early voting kicked off last friday. of course the primary is set for tuesday, september 14. we'll send you back to new york for good morning america. we'll see you in 30 minutes for good morning maryland at 9:00.

your tattling is not right. and it can get other people into trouble. >> would you like someone to tattle on you? >> huh-uh.ou like someone to that's no fun. >> well, then why should you tattle on other people? >> because that is fun. ♪ >> a very brady morning here. we have cast members of the "the brady bunch." they take us behind the scene of that show that became part of our lives. when george and i were talking with them. it was never number one. >> really? >> high as number 12. >> number one in our house. >> number one in our hearts. that's what it was. we're going to talk a very brady half-hour. alongside george, i'm robin roberts, on this thursday morning. friday eve. >> close to friday. it was only -- [ applause ] very excited about the weekend. also this morning, these two

are supposed to be enemies. but this cheetah and this shepherd are supposed to be friends. jack hanna is here to explain why. >> they're in our studio. >> very quiet. >> usually have to be quiet when they're around. also want to remind you that today is your last chance to bid on our summer music cancer posters. it's been a great summer of music. miley, black eyed peas. all of the proceeds benefit stand up to cancer. remember, you have until noon eastern, 9:00 a.m. pacific, to get your bids in. >> you'll be flying out tomorrow for the big event. >> i cannot wait to be out there. we raised $100 million for cancer research. these are some of the posters we'll see. mary j. blige, lady antebellum. fantastic. now, another big announcement from sam. >> they are cool posters. it's the first time i've gotten a chance to see them. we have a big exclusive preview of the hottest, new musical to

swing into broadway in years. it's called "spider-man, turn off the dark." the music is from bono and the edge, from u2. not only will they join us in a rare morning interview, live. you'll see a special performance for the first time ever of a song from the show. everybody here in new york is talking about it and around the country. if you're in new york, come join us at the hudson theater in times square. you can see that performance live. you'll see it live on television if you're not in new york. for information on all of that, go to abcnews.com/gma. let's get to the boards. one or two things to talk about before you head out the door. that's the fall-like, cool air in the northwest. we're seeing this in a lot of locations. l.a. at 75 degrees during the day. cool showers in the northwest. 62 by the time you get to seattle and tacoma and portland. in memphis, 89 degrees. part of the hot spot that goes tow through deep south.

it's drier in texas. but it's not drier in missou and all that weather was brought to you by purina. robin? >> it's a mad house in here. love it. >> crazy. it was the story of a lovely lady, a man named brady and the six children they brought into their marriage. "the brady bunch," one of america's most-loved programs. what was going on behind the scenes? lloyd schwartz, and his father, sherwood schwartz, have written a great book. it's called "brady, brady, brady, the complete story of the

brady bunch." we'll talk to the cast in a second. first, let's take a trip down memory lane, shall we? ♪ here's the story >> reporter: when the "the brady bunch" debuted in 1969, it was a new kind of story. a sitcom about a woman and her three daughters, uniting with a widower and his three sons, the first to focus on a blended family. mom, carol, was supposed to be a divorcee when she married mike. but network executives thought the plot point was too controversial. deciding, instead, to concentrate on the six kids. over the years, there was school plays. football injuries. >> hey, you guys -- oh, my nose. >> reporter: bouts of sibling rivalry. >> marcia, marcia, marcia. >> reporter: and lots of growing pains. ♪ it's time to change then it's time to change ♪ >> reporter: and who could forget the trips to the grand canyon and hawaii? >> that's enough. >> reporter: or episodes that

showed off the bradys' ability to rock 'n' roll. ♪ you can hear the music from 26 miles away ♪ >> reporter: after five seasons, "the brady bunch" bow, cartoons, and feature movies would follow. but for die-hard fans, the original television episodes is the stuff that legends are made of. ♪ and now, joining us, members of the brady family. christopher knight, played peter. mike lookinland, played bobby. and susan olsen played adorable cindy. and lloyd schwartz, the producer and director. do you often get together? >> just like this, all the time. >> just like this with the banister. >> when we do, it's something like this. but it happens a lot. >> i don't know anybody longer than i know these people in my life. other than my family. they're my second family.

>> definitely. >> for you, lloyd? >> oh, yeah. these are my kids. i started on the show, 22, 23. and sherwood, my dad, said take care of them. >> you're not old enough. he was like our crazy older brother. >> and you find that out when you read the book. let's catch up with what you're doing about now. we've seen you the most, chris. >> so, nothing needs to be said. >> do tell. do tell. >> i'm married to adrian curry. and we're still -- >> married. >> married. and you have more seasons of our reality show. and trying to find work separately. and finding success. >> you said that very well. looked like you might -- >> i project. >> and, mike, you're more of a behind-the-scenes kind of guy. >> i stayed in the film business for a couple of decades after the "the brady bunch," some acting. acting on "the brady bunch" seemed easy to me. i was a kid playing a kid. i didn't realize until i was in

my teens and 20s, that acting is easy. but good acting is not easy. you know? that's why actors get the respect they deserve. i stayed in the film business for a long time as a cameraman and camera assistant. made lots of commercials and movies and tv shows. >> reading the book. lloyd, you said this and wrote this very well. you knew this was going to happen for mike. even back then, he was running around. >> yeah. he was always climbing -- i had to find him up in the catwalks, watching the guys setting the lights. >> looking at the lights. >> i had to bring him down. >> let me tell you what i do now. >> okay. >> five years ago, i said, i had enough. i started my own business from scratch. i make decorative concrete. it's mainly countertops. kitchen countertops. >> good for you. >> he's an artisan. >> me and a couple guys, you know, go to your house. >> it should have been chris, though.

it should have been chris. he made that play volcano. >> do you remember that? >> we could do -- we could do a clay volcano out of concrete. >> what are you up to? >> i got involved in radio and producing. mostly, i'm a single mother. so, my son takes up most of my time. but recently, i got a gig on a soap opera, "the young and the restless." >> really? >> we'll be seeing where that goes. >> good. it will be glad to see you back. >> thank you. >> on tv. lloyd, you've done so many different things. >> yeah. >> again, reading the book, what you're going to be most for now is -- >> probably throwing the ball that hit marcia in the nose. >> you were the guy? >> yeah. chris and mike were throwing the ball around. and we had these kind of elderly prop men -- and they kept missing her. so, i was -- i said, give me the ball. >> i wanted to do it. in the scene, i threw the ball. i thought i could do a really

good job here. >> that's because you wanted to get maureen. >> all the time. i wanted to get under her skin. she was truly like my sister. >> she really was marcia, marcia, marcia. >> she was. >> well, you're a middle child, too. i'm surprised you didn't go greg, greg, greg. >> no. >> he was -- >> wait a minute. >> he was afraid of barry. >> i wasn't afraid of barry. barry wasn't a kid. he always wanted to be in with bob and florence and an adult. and it was sort of laughable from our position. but we let him do it. nonetheless, he was intimidating in that way. and there was this dynamic between maureen and barry that constantly played through the five years. maureen's mom couldn't drive. we were neighbors. or we were close. we drove in every day. outside of spending this afternoon with maureen every day, we spent this hour driving in and driving home. which allowed us to talk. or maureen to talk, about barry.

and she's asking my advice about barry. and barry's asking my advice about maureen. what do i know? i'm 13 years old. >> my job was to keep throwing water on both of these people because they were both after each other at that time. >> and it wouldn't have played well on tv. >> no. >> you were introducing barry to maureen's friends who came on the set. >> that's right. and he bought into that. >> he did? >> yeah. go for the friends. >> there's more of them. >> speaking of romances and that. i'm looking at you two. talk about the doghouse. tiger's doghouse? >> yes. >> what happened there? >> we started -- we started the whole romance thing. >> i was hot for cindy. >> you guys got -- didn't you get married? >> maureen mccormack performed the ceremony. >> didn't we get divorced two weeks later? >> we did.

eve. eve was developing. and i wasn't. >> how old was i? 10? 9? >> we were advanced. >> we were very precocious. >> this is really like a family. as you said, never number one. i thought that you were. couldn't believe it was just five seasons. and these people in our audience and online, they want to ask you guys some questions. can we take a quick break? >> we love it. we know

everyone knows a fee is a tax. you raised some taxes during that period, particularly the property tax as well as a lot of fee increases. as you know, there's a big difference between fees and taxes. but...they're the same. it's a tax. it's a tax. it's a tax. it's a tax. there's a big difference between fees and taxes. fees and taxes are one in the same. if it comes out of my pocket, it's a tax. now he says it isn't true. we didn't raise taxes. what? still doing the same thing, paying out more money. typical politician. definitely.

and we're back with "the brady bunch." we're putting them in "the hot seat" with questions from viewers. once again, chris knight, who played peter. mike lookinland, who played bobby, susan olsen, who played cindy. and lloyd sherwood, who was the producer. >> my mother came up with the title.er. >> instead of marcia, marcia, marcia, it was "brady, brady, brady." i know you're stalling because you don't want to get to the questions. your tv mom, florence henderson is on "dancing with the stars." >> she is going to win. everybody voted for florence. >> you danced with her back in the day? >> it was a long story. we were in hawaii. and the zombie drinks were a

little too strong. what i remember about the evening is i didn't go home with her. >> seems like a lot of that was happening on the show, by the way. >> some was, yeah. >> you say she's going to win. >> she's going to win. bet on florence. >> this leads us to a question. let's see here. it says, do any of you all want to -- karen in kansas, excuse me, asked, would any of you consider "dancing with the stars"? >> i would do it because they pay an awful lot of money. i would make a complete fool of myself, though. i would be horrible. i can't even walk in heels, let alone dance. >> i learned to dance at 100-plus grateful dead cancon concertses. >> we're tone-deaf, as you can see. certainly, i'd do it. it would entertain america. >> why am i not surprised? george?

>> question from linda. >> do you think today's child stars have it tougher than you did? >> yes. i think the paparazzi is a horrible thing to deal with. and one of the things that was different for us. may not have been so pleasant. we didn't have it quite so cushy. we were working a job. we weren't told we were wonderful for every, single thing we did. we were told, you need to do that better. and we grew up a lot more normally, i think. >> to this day, i cannot stand to be late toe something or to do it poorly. and i credit that to -- not just our parents. but to lloyd sherwood who said, you come to work on time, prepared. and you do your job. you don't get paid all that much. but it's going to be great. and it turned out great. >> there was a thing, though. we kept -- tried to keep them children. and so many times, you'll hear an actor say, that's not a child. that's an actor.

and i am completely opposite. we had the opposite philosophy. it was more important they remain children. i'm happy they're successful now. >> we had a lot of parental guidance around us. florence, and ann, and our own moms. and our wonderful worker, francis. >> chris, mike, susan, lloyd, thank you very much. and the questions, as well. we wish you all the very best going forward. you can read a chapter of the book "brady, brady, brady," on our website, abcnews.com/gma. you hear the cooing?

it is my favorite part of the show when jack hanna brings the animals to us. today, he brings two, old friends he brought here before. look at what ray looked like when she was, what?here before. about 8 weeks?

>> 8 weeks. 2 months old. >> and ruth, the anatolian shepherd. they are natural enemies in the wild. but they've been raised as friends at the columbus zoo. and jack is here with suzy. susie is always in charge of big cats above my head. >> the cheetah is an endangered animal. this antoneny shepherd is a meat eater. we set traps. we bring the anatolian shepherd in, an animal from turkey, 6,000 years old. the animal's been that long in turkey. it guards the sheep and cattle to keep the cheetah away. here's a dog that will keep this animal maybe away from extinction. >> and together, they wouldn't normally co-exist. but these two live together. >> right.

we tell the story all around the country, sam, about this magnificent thing susie and her staff, all of the staff at the columbus zoo, have done a great job in telling the story. if you look quick, everyone. look at the feet on the cheetah. this is the only cat in the world without unretractable claws. >> was there anything about making these two get along? >> they were only days apart. so, they all think they're cheetahs. or all think they're dogs. we're not sure yet. >> we put this in a book, "frenemies for life." and if you buy the book, it goes to the cheetah population, right? >> where all the cheetahs exist. >> as you pointed out, they're endangered now. it's loss of habitat and trying to find their mates. >> do we have anything cute and cuddly? having the cheetah over my

neck -- >> this is an animal here. the king of beasts. a little lion. these animals have tremendous homes in the zoological park. the lions, what's so sad, in we've lost 80% of our lions in the wild. 80% are gone now, of the african lion. that's unbelievable. >> that is unbelievable. >> and the animal here, the leopard, look at the one on the floor. the leopard has come back in parts of africa. we just filmed this at the game reserves in south africa. we tracked a leopard on foot. >> we think we shouldn't be worried about animal extinctions now in africa. but it's something we can help with. >> you need to keep track of it. it can happen so quickly. you look at the african elephant. >> and everybody can make a

difference. you can get involved. your school groups. your classes involved. you can buy the book. jack hanna is our best friend. we thank you for being here. >> people also want to enter this thing, be like jack hanna, they can go on a safari in south africa. always dreamed about this as a little boy. now, they can win the contest by getting on our website. >> we will link you to that on our website, abcnews.c i'm bob ehrlich. i'm not the kind of guy who likes to hang on the sidelines. today maryland is in trouble. we're worse off than we were four years ago. dangerous debt, higher taxes, not enough jobs. we need real leadership to turn this state around. fix the budget -- honestly. grow small businesses -- really. excellent schools -- everywhere. protect the bay -- finally. it's why i'm running. to make the state we love not just good but great. now let's get down to work.

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can we pet them, jack? thank you so much. we'll be back tomorrow. have a fabulous day, everyone. >> bye-bye. >> we'll see you. now the forecast certified most accurate by weather rate and maryland's most powerful doppler radar. >> good morning, everyone. we are talking about a beautiful day, but also some very dry conditions as well as some windy conditions. let me start you out with the dry conditions. we are looking at the moisture and it is very low.

dew point in the 40s. if you go to the south, you are picking up in the real abundant moisture. very oppressive air into charleston and montgomery. so here are the winds picking up. yes, they are finally picking up and 12-mile an hour sustained winds. more of the same into frederick. as we go throughout the day, gusts will be up to 25 to 30 miles an hour. as we look at the satellite and radar, there's that cold front passed through. on the front side of it, quite warm and sultry. good morning, kim. >> good morning. that earlier accident southbound 95 at the end of the fort mchenry tunnel blocking the right lane in the right tube. that has been cleared away. as we look at our cameras, traffic looking a lot better. you can still expect some minor delays. those delays also begin at white marsh boulevard. an accident reported southbound 95 at key highway, no word on

any lane information as of now. also on the throughway, 895 south, some debris reported in the roadway and a crash eastbound liberty road at rolling road and we are working an accident downtown with a crash involving a struck pedestrian at sharp and conway streets. stay with us, because good morning maryland is coming up next, coming up at 9:00.